


Youth and Escapades

by CyberSearcher



Series: Adventures of Thalleous [2]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Songs of War (Cartoon)
Genre: Cool Uncle Thalleous, Dead Parents, Fluff, Gen, Mentions of Death, Minor Angst, Wholesome Shennanigans, and by we, itll probably just be me ':D, no beta we die like zane, we need to make this a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:06:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,666
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26498362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberSearcher/pseuds/CyberSearcher
Summary: Thalleous accidentally breaks into an orphanage. Thankfully, all the kids like him.
Series: Adventures of Thalleous [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924585
Comments: 7
Kudos: 12





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I dunno if I should aim to fill this fandom with 20+ so it's a whole page, or like, just 5 more. I'm probably gonna go back to Ninjago once the moon hits me to work on another AU. 
> 
> Also, 'ello to any SoW fans checking out this! I've got a tumblr (@cyber-searcherao3). We can scream into the void together.

From the mouth of a cavern hidden under a thick cover of vines, a shimmering sword cut through. Thalleous leaned against the stone, squeezing his left arm to try and staunch the burning pain from a lucky shot from an Agressium Song. Behind him, the Voltraris who’d taken the shot laid dead several feet away, along with the rest he’d finally managed to track down. 

He sighed, rubbing behind his horns at the growing headache that always lingered after a battle. The Sendaris gave a sharp whistle and a horse stepped out from behind the trees. 

Sheathing the blade, Thallous reached up to pet the horse's snout. “Good boy, Timber. Let’s go.”

Climbing up onto the saddle put strain on the cracks in his shell from the hammer strikes and daggers, but he grit his teeth and spurred on Timber towards the nearest town. What little sunlight he could see through the canopy of dark oak was enough to tell that it would be getting dark very soon. Old paranoia crept into his thoughts just as he recalled that his last flint and steel had broken. 

His horse seemed to notice his mood too. Timber whimpered as the shadows grew deeper and less sunlight filtered through the leaves. “Shh, it’s alright. We’ll be okay boy. There shouldn’t be any Voltaris left in this region. That was the last one.” 

Timber still shivered the slightest. Thallous had to admit that he only half believed himself, but he justified that as healthy caution. Stepping over fallen logs and creeks, the two followed the beaten dirt path towards the village, searching for a torch or lantern in a windowsill. 

Eventually, the sun dipped below the horizon and the Sendaris pale blue lights were the only thing illuminating the path. Thallous' fingers twitched on the reigns, constantly glancing around, behind and above him for monsters. He looked hopefully for another cavern where they could spend the night, even considering just going back to the Voltaris hideout. 

Sleeping beside the darkened Ardoni bodies would be uncomfortable, but better than getting ambushed by creepers or undead.

Timber suddenly negied and gestured his head away from the path. “What is it? Do you see something?” 

The horse nodded and Thalleous agreed to let himself be led on - it’d take at least another half hour till they were close to the village anyways. The branches hung lower than the path and the Sendaris was forced to hold one hand to block his face, lest he keep spitting out leaves. 

“I hope you - ack - aren’t doing this to spite - ow, ow - spite me Timber.” He picked out another twig caught under his horns and hair. 

After several moments of apprehension, Timber finally stepped into a small clearing. Thallous was surprised to see a small homestead facing them. There was a surrounding fence acting as a meager guard against wandering monsters with glowing lanterns placed on stone pedestals. A small farm and barn were built a few feet from the main structure and there was no lock on said barn doors. 

Thalleous smiled. “Well, I suppose I owe you an apology, old friend.”

Timber stepped over the fence and the Sendaris unmounted to hold the door open for the horse to step through. Forgetting to duck, he bumped his head on the low door frame, Thallous just groaned and looked for a small pile of hay to use as a bed. 

There weren’t any animals inside the barn, save for a sleeping sheep and its lamb. Timber found an empty stable and curled under a crosshatch of moonlight coming through the cracks in the roofing. 

Thalleous leaned against the furthest wall, unsheathed his sword and watched the closed door for a few more moments before he felt safe enough to close his eyes. His fingers still kept a loose grip on the hilt of the swords that laid across his lap. 

It still took him time to block out the pain from his Songs and his wounds. None were serious and he estimated they’d heal in a few days, but that didn’t stop it from being irritating and making sleep all the more difficult. 

Finally resting, it didn’t feel like much time had passed when Thalleous felt the warm, morning breeze waft through the thin walls of the barn. He considered sleeping in a bit more, cursing his habit of being such an early riser. 

Then the Sendaris felt something shift beside his leg. At first, he thought it was just Timber until he saw the horse sleeping a foot away. His grip tensed and in a moment of instinct, almost called up his Song. 

Thalleous looked down and beside him, a pair of Felina - both boys - with grey hair and matching green shirts were sleeping beside him. He blinked in confusion, taking a moment to process what he was seeing. Both were draped over his leg, making it impossible to move unless he wanted to wake them up. 

And he sincerely could not bring himself to do anything that cruel. Timber - who had also adapted to the Sendaris sleep schedule - turned and huffed when he saw the Felina curled up by his side. Thallous made a _‘shush’_ gesture and the horse curled back up to catch some extra hours of rest. 

He maneuvered the diamond greatsword away from the children, then looked over the state of them. Both were small - of course he knew that was a given - but even compared to non-Ardoni children they were small. The ears of one had a small patch of skin that wasn’t covered by fur, caused by what he knew was a burning projectile. 

“Blaze.” He muttered to himself. 

Said child stirred in his sleep, breath growing fast and curling in on himself. A tiny hand reached up to pull at his ears. Thalleous reached out to carefully rock the childs shoulders. 

“Wake up, it’s only a dream.” He urged softly. “You’re safe with me.” 

The Felina’s eyes suddenly shot open, mouth gaped in a silent scream. Thalleous drew back his hand and offered his most comforting smile. Eventually he grew worried when the child’s open mouth didn’t close. 

“That’s a very fast way to catch flies for breakfast.” He jokes. 

The boy blinked, rubbed his eyes, then blinked even faster. 

He grabbed his twins shoulder and began to violently shake them. “Brother, brother, the Ardoni is awake! It’s talking to us!” 

“He is!?” 

Both children tripped over each others tangled limbs, then finally stood to look up with shimmering eyes. 

Thalleous didn’t expect the enthusiasm, but was glad that the two already seemed to trust him. “I am an Ardoni, yes. My name is Thalleous Sendaris. Who may you two be?” 

“S-senus! I’m Senus! My little brothers’ Macdumb.” 

He shoved his brother with a pout. “Macduff! I’m Macduff!” 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Thalleous looked over their shoulders to the ajar barn door. “But where are your parents? Do they know you’re here by yourself?” 

Senus suddenly folded his ears back. Macduff reached to pull his brother in for a loose hug. 

“They don't.” He said sharply. “They’re both dead.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Thalleous whispered. He didn’t need to do much guessing to figure out who killed them. 

Senus wiped his nose and met his gaze with a hopeful smile. “But it’s okay now, cause you’re here! You’re one of the Ardoni! Everyone else says you guys aren’t around anymore but no way could some stupid fire monster could hurt you!” 

“Yea! You guys were so cool! Check out it’s horns!” Macduff pointed, making grabby hands towards them. 

Thalleous obliged, lowering his head and letting them poke as much as their curious hearts wanted. At some point, he managed to grab both and mount them on his shoulders, carrying them around as they clung to his horns and squealed with glee. 

Through their laughing, it took the Sendaris a moment to realize that the barn door was open. An elderly human and a cluster of another dozen children of varying age and race were gathered with mistified expressions. 

By now Senus had one hand tangled in his long grey hair and Macduff was now hanging from his good arm. Thalleous just grinned. 

“I hope I didn’t wake all of you up.”


	2. Chapter 2

The elderly human squinted, then hastily limped forward on his cane towards the two Felina. “We were all worried sick! Why weren’t you in the house? You could’ve caught a cold! And you! What are you doing here?” 

Both Macduff and Senus dropped down behind his legs. Macduff even blew a raspberry at the human. 

“The house is so small! We can’t run around and climb things, it’s so boring!” He whined. 

“And he’s a real Ardoni too.” Senus added quietly. “He’s really, really warm too. He let us play with him.” 

Senus was still clinging to his silver hair, burned ears pressed flat against his head. As the human approached, Thalleous quickly raised a hand to keep him back. He didn’t look angry and judging by the state of the children as a whole, he wasn’t treating them badly. But that didn’t stop the Sendaris from using a firm tone to address him. 

“They’re Felina, at their age it’s normal for them to be so clingy.” He explained. “It’s not natural for them to be this close to the ground. Most of their buildings are at least twenty meters up or higher.” 

The elder narrowed his eyes. “How would you know of these sorts of things? Aren’t your people born from the mountainside or whatnot?”

The Sendaris narrowed his eyes. “Those are Magnorites you're thinking of.” 

“He’s Thalleous!” Senus cut in. “Thalleous Sean-faris!” 

“Sendaris.” His corrected. 

All of a sudden, the man’s eyes went wide. He eyes the pattern of glowing blue marks trailing over his skin, the elegant horns and the enchanted, diamond greatsword still lying in the dirt. Timber choose that moment to wake and shook his mane free of dust. Several voices behind them began to whisper and point at Thalleous. 

“Well, it won’t do any of us good if you two stay in here.” The man turned to limp away, then looked over his shoulder. “And you, you may as well stay. I doubt I could kick you out even in my prime.”

Thalleous couldn’t help the snark. “A wise decision.” 

He led Timber out to stretch his legs, making sure to step carefully as both Felena boys practically hung off him. Though he forgot to duck through the doorway and bit his tongue to stop himself from swearing. All the children snickered and the elderly man made an approving sound. 

It didn’t take long for the rest of the children to start hounding him with even more questions. 

“Why are you blue? Are you made of diamonds?”

“Unfortunately only my sword is made of diamonds.” 

“Why are you glowy?”

“I am an Ardoni.” 

“Where do you live?

“In Sendaria.”

“Where’s that?” 

He made sure to duck this time as he entered the homestead. It was appropriately messy for how many children were living here. Though Thalleous didn’t see any other adults - Felena or Human - coming to help with the herd. The elderly man rolled up his sleeves and gestured to the living room.

“If you want to help, keep the rascals entertained while I fix them breakfast.” He ordered. “Preferably with more than a sentence.” 

Thalleous nodded, then cried out when one of the kids suddenly pulled his hair. “I s-supose I can do that. Let go please.” 

“It’s so smooth!” A little girl rubbed her tiny fingers through the silver strands. “And long! I want my hair to be this long!” 

“Well I want his markings! They look so cool! I wanna glow in the dark, can you teach me?” 

“Unfortunately not, these are traits unique to my race alone.” Thallous smiled. “Along with… certain tricks.” 

The promise of a surprise was enough to silence most of the children. Before they all started pleading to know what he was talking about. He guided them into the dinning room - over a dozen chairs, but only one tall enough for an adult - and asked them to sit before taking a spot in the front. 

Warm, buttery light filtered through the windows, casting beams filled with dust motes swirling over the spruce table. Overhead, there was a chandelier and a balcony that connected to the second floor. Thalleous grinned, the children's wining turned to begging. 

“Alright, alright. I will show you.” He raised a hand to try and quiet the cheering. But first, what do you know about Songs?” 

Confused murmurs and expressions flitted across the young faces. 

“Are you going to sing?”

“Do you think he can sing line Mister Flint?” 

“I didn’t know Ardoni could sing.”

Then, Senus raised a timid hand. “T-those are what your powers are, right?” 

Thalleous didn’t expect him to know the answer. “Yes, actually. That is what we call out unique ability. It is what makes us Ardoni. As an example - “

He stepped back, estimated the height between the balcony and the floor - a bit short but doable - and exhaled a sharp breath. The sudden burst of yellow light brought back the cheers, then all eyes were drawn up to the Sendaris currently dangling from the railings. 

Panting from the shock, he pulled himself up and waved, not bothering to try and damped their enthusiasm. 

Thalleous noticed something, though, just out of the corner of his eye. He looked back and saw a set of bows hung against the walls, with feathers and dyed leather decorating the body in elegant patterns. If he craned his head, he could almost swear he saw a glass case and armour stand with a set of chainmail further down. 

Teleporting down was less of a hassle. Though now he was accosted with even more questions. He ended up just sitting them all down on the floor in front of him while he explained the different Prime Songs, their uses and denying further demonstrations. He was just about to leave and bring in his greatsword as the elderly man kicked open the door, arms laided with plates of fresh bread, fruits and meat. 

The Sendaris helped to guide them all back to their proper seats, the human offering him one of the extra by the head of the table. Thalleous accepted the food - noting how the man only served him fruits - and reached for one of the plates of bacon to add. 

The human cocked an eyebrow. “I’ve never known an Ardoni to have a taste for meat.” 

“I suppose not.” He shrugged. “I doubt I’m a very particular example for an Ardoni.” 

“Thally said he’s over a hundred, hundred years old!” One of the younger kids added. 

“He said he was only four hundred!” 

“Three hundred.” Thalleous laughed. “And perfectly healthy for my age.” 

Conversation died down slightly, most of the gossip now centered on details about the children's lives. The Sendaris was thankful for the shift in attention, but he didn’t miss how the old man had flinched as one of the children made mention of his Songs again. 

Thalleous tilted his head the slightest towards the human. “You wouldn’t happen to be Finnick Flint, the Ranger of the Kaltari Mountains?”

“And you are Thalleous Sendaris, Champion of your clan.” He hissed back. 

“I do not mean any harm. But I am a bit curious, what is a former bounty hunter doing in an orphanage?” 

Flint bristled, but his expression softened when he felt a tug at his sleeve. It was the Felena brothers again, Senus hiding behind his brother who was standing so straight, his back may have been replaced with a plank.

“I know you were scared when we weren’t in the house.” Macduff said factually. “But Sen couldn’t sleep and we both wanted to go outside, then we saw Thalleous and we just… fell asleep. He was really warm. But I can do the dishes today, a-and I’ll even help in the gardens again!” 

Flint shook his head and knelt down to their level, ruffling the boy's hair who only giggled at the action. “We can do the dishes together. But… perhaps you could take one of the older children with you next time? The nights are still dangerous.” 

“But they call us kittens.” Senus mumbled. “One of them even tried to pull my ear.” 

Thalleous watched the man’s gaze flick across the table before narrowing on a very specific batch of children bordering on teenagers. “I can talk to them, now go finish your breakfast. I think Alice is trying to steal your mushy beetroots.”

Macduffs eye’s suddenly went very wide. “Hey! Those for my brothers!”

The two ran off, the would-be thieves dashing back to their side of the table. Flint shook his head and gave the Sendaris a critical stare. Then, he sighed. 

“After the ‘Great’ War, there wasn’t much I couldn’t buy with all the heads of those damn Neatherites and their monsters. So I bought this house, all the weapons I wanted and whatever else my stupid, younger self wanted. But it wasn’t till I realized just how many I couldn’t save from the Nether, that I realized I could’ve spent all that gold on something infinitely more valuable.” 

Thalleous didn’t need the man to continue and he didn’t. With his discerning stare, it wasn’t hard to read the same guilt that followed the Sendaris wherever he traveled. 

“You’re doing a good thing here.” He said quietly. 

“I’m doing what should be done.” Flint's scowl was back, but there was no malice behind it. “These kids deserve a peaceful life. I’m doing what I can to give it to them.” 

“I hope to do the same.” 

Once all the meals were cleaned - along with the children - Thalleous debated leaving. The next town was close and he did need to replace his flint and steel. But he figured that could wait. Following Senus, the little Felina smiled up and stopped his group of friends to run up to him. His friends soon followed and he knelt so they didn’t have to crane their heads. 

“Mr Th - thaley - “ A little girl with a missing front tooth lisped her way through his name. 

“You can just call me Thally if it is easier.”

“Thally! We were gonna play hide and seek, but Senus always wins unless his brother’s playing with us. It’s not fair.” 

“Then I suppose that just means he is a very good hider.” Thalleous smiled. “Ah, where have you hidden in past games?” 

The response was a mumble, but he wasn’t surprised when it sounded something like ‘rooftop’. 

“That is impressive.” He nodded. “Though not all your friends are as agile, perhaps next time you could hide in one of the trees?”  
“But Mister Flint says we can only go there with one of the big kids.” The girl pouted. 

Thalleous shrugged. “I suppose you’ll have to deal with me instead.” 

The eager cries of ‘yes!’ was more than enough to let himself be dragged out by the wrist to the courtyard. Timber was grazing just beyond the fence and Thalleos stopped to grab his sword just incase. Though he had to stop the children’s curious hands from tracing down the shard edge of the blade. 

“Here, you can look but do not touch.” He held the blade out gingerly, keeping it at arms length.

“Is it also an Ardoni thing?” Senus asked. 

“No, it’s glow comes from an enchantment. All the more reason to be careful.” 

“Are you enchanted then?”

He laughed. “Some days I wouldn’t mind it.” 

Opening the fence, Thalleous made sure to at least set some boundaries. They had to keep the house in full sight at all times and if they heard any unusual sounds, then they had to come out of hiding. 

Thalleous also nominated himself as the seeker for this round. Both to stop the children from arguing to not be it, and because he was a giant, glowing, stone person. He didn’t think there were many places he could hide, period. 

Though perhaps he did have an advantage, with his years of tracking it was easy to find the patches of dirt that were disturbed or the pile of leaves that shifted when a little body couldn’t suppress her giggling. But he made sure to pass by each of the children’s hiding spots at least once. 

Senus though, was a much more flighty case. 

He knew the Felina was in the trees - a child-shape shadow practically flew between the leaves - though none of the other children had much luck. It was actually seeing him that was the challenge. 

Most of the children just resorted to calling his name and deeming him the winner yet again. But Thalleous knew which branches were sturdy enough to hold a child’s weight and Senus didn’t seem to stick too far from where the Sendaris went. 

Glancing through the trees, Thalleous waited before Senus was jumping between trees again before quietly teleporting into one of the branches. An armful of shocked Felina threw himself into his arms, knocking them both into the air. Falling didn’t do much damage, save for the entire flat and handle of his greatsword digging itself into his back. 

Senus stared at him, along with the rest of the children. 

“No way! You actually caught him!” The girl yelled. 

“But he can do that jumpy-thing, isn’t that unfair?” 

“That may be true,” Thalleous pushed himself up and rubbed at the new cracks in his skin, “so how about you all try to find me together? I shouldn’t be too hard to spot.” 

“Yea, you’re all cool and glowy! We can totally find you.” 

All the children covered their eyes, then began counting at all different numbers, then began to argue over what number to start on. Thalleous laughed to himself and made sure to choose a very easy spot to hide.


End file.
